College for Journalism Degree

I'm also struggling with fighting the stereotype of being a sports journalist and trying to transfer into another area of journalism, which would be a whole 'nother book for another day. Toy department status really sucks. But somewhere along the lines I missed the TPS report that said you have more credibility and credentials as a "lifestyles writer" than a sports reporter. I guessed I shouldn't have blared so much Too $hort from my office stereo when I was in school.

"You wanna rap? Well that's a nice occupation to get pussy when you want and how you want it, fool." -- $hort Dogg.

 

I definitely agree and sympathize with much of what you said, but I have to disagree with this point. I paid most of my own way through college, with some help from parents. I went to a good J-school that was in-state, so that lowered tuition a lot. I got some grants, scholarships, and awards, which helped to reduce the amount of loan I had, and I was able to pay off the loans within four years after graduation. I also worked 2-3 nights a week for the local 50k paper as a stringer and agate clerk all 4 years in college to help pay for living expenses. That also helped me land a full-time job at that paper a semester before graduation, and it was a bigger paper than what most people might start at fresh out of school (I was definitely fortunate in that respect). The fact that I was working desk as a designer & copy editor also meant a bit more money. Within a few years I had gotten a couple decent raises (back when such things existed) and then moved to a 100k paper that paid in the low 40s, which I considered a very good salary for that stage of my life. I will be the first to say that I was definitely fortunate in how I started my career, but I also made a lot of those breaks myself and earned a lot of it, and I certainly don't feel like I coasted off my parents' pocketbook simply because I'm not up to my knees in student loans.

That being said, the entry-level pay in this business in general is appalling compared to other fields. Yes, I know the "you'll never be rich" understanding we all took with us when we started. But you see some of the salaries offered and you just shake your head. It's as if the business is desperately trying to drive away people who WANT to work in the business.

if I had to do it over again, I probably would've done the design sequence in the J-school and taken news writing & editing classes on the side to go with my stringer experience. I would recommend anyone considering a journalism career to have a backup plan. The fact that you don't need a journalism degree to work in this business makes it that much easier to prepare that plan B by getting a non-journalism degree while you're in school.

 

As I said a couple of posts up, a journalism degree doesn't immediately typically pay for itself - not unless you're really fickle with your money right out of school. Young'ins need to make the best practical choice. In the end, it's the clips and work ethic that get you the job, not your degree.

BTW, I've never had an employer ask for my college gpa. Thank goodness.

 

To spin off buck's question about cost, I was fortunate once I got to the university where I ultimately got my bachelor's degree. My dad's partner worked at a university that provided full tuition benefits (and room and board if needed) for sons of registered domestic partners. Thus, because I was the "de-facto stepson" of an employee of this other university, I was able to go to school without having to pay a cent of tuition out of pocket. One semester, I even got on the meal plan.

My first two years, I went to a community college. Dad paid for some of it. I paid for about half. The upshot of all of that is that unlike many of my fellow graduates, I didn't have a penny of college debt to pay back.

 

It depends what you think is a no-name school.

There are two Division-1 schools in Michigan that are universally known to have better journalism programs than U-M. One is a MAC school.

Yes, you will get a better education at Michigan than the MAC school, but if your looking for experience from an accredited program with a good college paper, magazine and radio station maybe it better suits you to go to the MAC school and be the next Dick Enberg.

 

By the way, what are everyone's opinions on master programs?

I want to get my masters, either when I relocate to a better job, or take one online through a good D-1 university, not like DeVry or anything.

Thoughts on which places are good?

Again, I'm a journalist, not made of money... Northwestern is not exactly an option.

 

I'm talking "no-name" as in D-II, D-III or NAIA schools. I wouldn't consider MAC schools like Ohio, Kent State and Ball State as no-name programs (or Western, which I think is where you're talking about).

 

I was told once told not to bother sending my information to a smaller-circulation newspaper because I "didn't go to a Division I college." That stung quite a bit because I knew I could hack it at their shop. I fucking knew I could. Four months later, I got a job at a paper much bigger than that shop -- with my Division II education in hand.

Yeah, school is what you make of it, and to a degree -- no pun intended -- the school you ultimately choose won't make you a better journalist. But I'm sure the name and prestige of the program doesn't hurt the people from Syracuse or Kansas when they're going up against an applicant from a Division II or III school. It might not guarantee them the spot, but they're going in with a built-in advantage, in my opinion.

 

Unless you want to teach, they're a waste of money and time.

I would have considered a master's in journalism to make up for my lack of a J-degree, but all of my colleagues at the Big Student Daily who were students in the Renowned Journalism School told me -- to a man and woman -- I'd be wasting my time. And the arguments were all pretty much the same.

I'm interested in teaching, though, and I've found that interest through the mentoring I do with student writers at my current gig. I just would like to do it without getting myself into a sinkhole of time or money I can't afford.

 

They sound like dumbasses. I'm in a "dumbass" mood today, I guess.

But when I've gone into a hiring process, I haven't given a shit about what J-program someone's gone to -- or even whether they've gone to J-school. Just because someone goes to Missouri doesn't mean they're going to be a good journalist. Just because someone goes to Podunk State College and majors in architecture doesn't mean they're not cut out to be journalists.

If I were interviewing and your clips were best and you were the best fit overall, you'd probably be the person I schedule to meet with the publisher and CEO. I don't even know if the guy I hired over a year and a half ago had a journalism program per se at his school. Wouldn't have mattered if he did. He didn't get a degree in journalism but he was a damn good journalist.

In the end, that's what's really important.

 

Why are we so proud of a lack of training in our business? Do you think doctors say, "You don't NEED medical school to be a doctor!" In our business, lack of formal training is considered a badge of honor.

 

False analogy Pulitzer Wannabe. You CAN'T be a doctor without medical school. You CAN be a journalist without J-school. They're two completely different fields.

Trust me, I'm not saying that lack of formal training is a badge of honor. But you'd better have clips that show me that you've learned how to be a journalist.